1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a shipping crate formed from laminated corrugated material, such as paper board, card board, or recycled fiber product, and in particular to a modular component crate system whose design provides a customizable crate option that ships self-contained, easily assembles without tools, and is reusable as a system or in discrete parts, and when assembled having a stackable compression strength exceeding one hundred times the weight of the assembled crate.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Shipping crates made from wood are expensive, difficult to breakdown, and are not generally recyclable or reusable. Corrugated mediums as used in crating are gaining popularity but generally are limited in application because of the corrugated mediums having susceptibilities to degradation in strength, complications in assembly, and so damaged during unpacking or break down that the entire used crate must be disposed of as waste.
Corrugated crating options are fabricated so that the corrugated medium having longitudinal air spaces or columns referred to in the art as flutes are vertically disposed thereby providing the greatest compression strength. In later versions of corrugated crating options the fabrication mediums of corrugated materials are laminated, such that one layer is vertically disposed and the next layer is horizontally disposed thereby forming stacks of corrugated medium to increase the load bearing strength of the crate. However, the corrugated materials used today are usually strong only once, and the stresses and environment of shipping quickly degrade the corrugate materials, breaking down the paper fiber bonds, creating sloppy fits, loose attachments, and corrugated crate failures. The sloppy fit components get worse as the crate is shipped, and negates any opportunity to reuse the crate in the entirety or reuse the discrete components.
Currently available corrugated crating options are fabricated such that the corrugated medium's strength is maximized relative to the aggregate weight of the crate, with an aim of minimizing materials used thereby decreasing expense, all for the ‘one time use’ purpose. The advantage of adding two or more layers of corrugated paper as laminated together is well known in the art to significantly increases the crush strength of the constructed crate while minimally increasing the crate's weight or expense. Analogous to plywood products, the panel of laminated mediums may be cut and assembled with other panels to form rigidly strong structure. However, a serious problem with the corrugated card board or paper panels as used for shipping crates is that the panels are usually discarded after opening, usually due to damage, and much of the glues or adhesives used to laminate the corrugated sheets are not recyclable and are not compostable. In short, the corrugated crate option results in an increase in waste mass and storage of the same, requiring frequent disposal or an increase in waste storage capacity.
Reusing the corrugated crate as a shipping container has not been effectively achievable due to gluing, stapling, or fixating the corrugated panels or members together during the original assembly. The components of the corrugated crate generally are permanently fixated to be used once effectively, which negates reasonable re-assembly and re-use due to damage to the panels and members during opening, breakdown, knockdown, or removal of the cargo from the crate. Previous corrugated crate designs were considered a onetime use option.
There is a need not satisfied by the prior art for a customizable shipping crate that is of reusable modular design and durable construction allowing for reuse of the crate or reuse of the discrete modular components, thereby decreasing waste and providing an environmentally sustainable solution to crating.